Steve Bowers

Utah has had national recognition for its high growth and housing boom. Everywhere you drive you see single family homes under construction and just as many more multi-family projects. I have had a lot of friends outside our industry ask if it is sustainable. The fact is that Utah is the fastest growing State in the Union with more than 50,000 new people moving in each year. While we have an unprecedented growth in residential, the need is still out pacing construction. Read More

In last month’s blog, we talked about the growing influence of technology in construction. We identified several different ways that technology can help a project from pre-construction through project completion. Earlier this year, Bonneville Builders began construction on a low-income multifamily project in Cedar City, Utah. This project, called Libertad, is just over 95,000 sq ft and features 3 multi-level buildings. It’s also nine weeks ahead of schedule! Read More

Hard hats, tools, and heavy machines. These are the some of the first thoughts that come to mind when someone outside the industry hears about construction. They see the sites, the signs, and the new buildings, but anyone not familiar with the industry doesn’t see the work that goes on behind the scenes. Every project has a team of individuals who coordinate all the aspects of a project before moving dirt. Project Managers, Engineers, and Assistants work hard to communicate with owners, architects, superintendents, subcontractors, and anyone involved in a project. This is no small feat and no small amount of paperwork. Contracts, addendums, submittals, preliminary waivers, waivers, change orders, pay applications, only scratch the surface. Construction relies on this information, therefore it is important that project teams have their own tools to manage it.

This is the era of information and technology is changing the construction industry. The proper use of technology can save construction managers and general contractors time and money as processes and procedures become more efficient. Many contractors are still transitioning from documentation to digital, but most can expect a large ROI for doing so. Read More

Most owners know that bringing a good sophisticated general contractor into a project early, has its advantages. Some benefits include accurate budgeting, value engineering, and help with the overall design process, all while keeping projects in a financial box. However, many owners and general contractors are missing another critical component to hitting budgets and projects schedules, and that is having good subcontractor relationships. Good subcontractor relationships are the secret sauce for a market that is red hot and seemingly harder to get projects to meet budgets and schedules. Read More

Exceeding Economic Expectations

The construction industry in 2018 is roaring as expected. It is living up to all estimates and forecasts. According to Wells Fargo’s Construction Forecast for 2018, the confidence and optimism of non-residential construction companies is the highest it has been in the last 20 years. This nationwide attitude comes from individuals and companies of every size and from various positions. Read More

Today, March 2, 2018 is National Employee Appreciation Day. It is a day for companies to thank and show appreciation to their employees for their hard work and effort throughout the year. Though the holiday is still gaining adoption in the U.S. and abroad, Employee Appreciation Day has become an opportunity for managers, company leadership and HR to remember the importance of appreciating employees. It is a day of strengthening the bond between employer and employee. Read More

The 2018 Winter Olympics held in PyeongChang, South Korea consists of 92 participating nations, 2,920 athletes, and 102 sporting events. Being in construction, my first interest was the amount of money spent constructing the venues to host this world event. It was no surprise to learn that the $13 billion spent was double the original budget. How this happens in a sophisticated construction industry is a topic on its own and one for another time. I want to focus on the spirit and purpose of the Olympics and some parallels in the construction industry. Read More

By the final quarter of 2017, the price per ton of domestic steel in the United States was 14 percent higher than at the same juncture in the previous year. The trending increase is expected to carry forward deeper into 2018, with an expected additional increase in the price per ton of domestic steel notching upward another 6 percent during the first two quarters of the year. Read More

Human nature is a funny thing. After years in an executive role, I’m still amazed at some reactions to negative situations, especially from executives. When a conflicting situation arises, too often managers and executives immediately form an opinion about what’s right and wrong. However, it doesn’t mean it’s true. Good leaders take the time to listen to both sides of a story before forming an opinion and acting on it. When I hear an individual complain about someone else, I try imagining what the other person might be saying or thinking. Nothing is as simple as he said/she said or he did/she did. When emotions are involved it adds to the challenge of sorting through it all and coming up with a reasonable conclusion. This ability to wade through different perspectives before acting, is the sign of a great leader.

Here are three things to consider when trying to come to a mutually satisfying resolution: Read More

This time of year comes with a lot of mixed emotions. In our personal lives we have the holidays and on the professional side a multitude of thoughts, worries and concerns over business performance. Everyone who works, feels stress at some point. Short term stress is the most common and is caused by situations such as meeting deadlines or to fulfill a challenging obligation. However, chronic stress in the work place can be overwhelming and very harmful to both physical and emotional health.